If you are coming to live in the UK and want to bring a spouse with you, there are several types of visas that you might consider. As a British citizen or someone with indefinite leave to remain / settled status in the UK, you also have the option to bring your spouse and other dependent family members to live with you. Whichever option applies, there are several important eligibility criteria to consider, one of which will be whether or not you can meet the financial requirement to live in the UK and support your partner without recourse to public funds.

If you wish to bring a spouse to live with you, you must show that you can support them (or in some cases that they can support themselves) by providing evidence that you meet the financial requirements - specifically, that your income meets or exceeds the minimum income threshold. There are also further financial considerations, such as the immigration health surcharge and application fees that every applicant must usually pay.

If you wish to bring a spouse or civil partner to the UK to live with you permanently, you will need to show that you meet the UK Spouse visa financial requirement. Alternatively, there are visa options that enable you to come to the UK to work on a temporary basis - sometimes with a route to settlement at the end of the process - and these will also usually come with a financial threshold that you must meet, either with your income or savings.

Here, the expert immigration solicitors at Latitude Law explain the relevant minimum income thresholds for the most common types of visas, outline some of the evidence you can use during the visa application process (for both you and your spouse), and detail when legal advice can make the biggest difference to your chances of success.

UK Spouse visa financial requirements

If you are a British or Irish citizen and want to bring a spouse or civil partner to the UK to live with you permanently, the first step will be to apply for a Spouse visa. Officially called a Family or partner visa, this allows you to come to the UK initially for two years and nine months, after which you can extend the visa and after 5 years’ residence apply for indefinite leave to remain.

There are several key eligibility criteria for this category, but in terms of financial requirements, the most important qualification is that you meet the minimum income threshold set by the Home Office for the Family visa route. This is designed to verify that the sponsoring spouse can financially support their partner, or that the couple can support themselves with their joint income, without relying on public funds.

As of 11 April 2024, the minimum income threshold is set at £29,000. Previously, the minimum income requirement increased if there were any dependent children applying alongside your spouse, but this is no longer the case. This means that, as a new applicant, you only need to show that you have income of £29,000 in order to sponsor your spouse along with any children.

What counts as income for the Spouse visa?

For the purposes of meeting the threshold for a UK Spouse visa, "income" can refer to gross annual income earned in the UK, either through employment or self-employment. Income can also include pension income, any cash savings of more than £16,000, a non-employment income such as money earned through dividends or rental income from letting property. However, it cannot include any of the following:

●      income from others who live in the household

●      loans or borrowed funds

●      subsidies or types of financial support supplied by third parties

●      benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

●      Universal Credit, including the Working Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit

If you are including your savings, the cash savings relied upon must have been held for at least six months before the start of the application process, a rule designed to prove that these funds are not a loan or a windfall but genuine income.

Are there exceptions?

In certain exceptional circumstances, you may not need to meet the minimum income requirement to bring a dependant spouse to the UK on a Family visa. If the sponsoring partner receives any of the following benefits, you may not need to meet the financial requirement:

●      Disability Living Allowance

●      Severe Disablement Allowance

●      Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

●      Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

●      Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme

●      Police Injury Pension

●      Carer’s Allowance

This is not an exhaustive list and you should speak to an immigration solicitor about your circumstances if you are unsure about the eligibility criteria for your desired immigration route. Even in cases where the minimum requirement does not apply, you will need to provide evidence that you have a place to live and can afford to support yourselves on the money you have.

Are there other costs?

Beyond the minimum income requirement, there are additional costs that need to be paid when applying for a visa in the UK. It is important to consider this, as if these payments reduce your cash savings below the threshold of £16,000, they may no longer be considered as income, so this can affect your eligibility.

If you are applying to join a partner, visas cost £1,846 from outside the UK or £1,258 when applying from within the UK. For those bringing dependent family members (usually children), this cost must be paid per applicant, even if these other applicants are listed as dependants on a single visa.

You must also pay the health surcharge, although how much you need to pay depends on how long you intend to stay in the UK. For an adult spouse or partner who wants to stay for the full two years and nine months allowed by the Family visa, this would cost £3,105. For each child under 18 who will accompany you, an additional surcharge of £2,328 would apply if you stayed for the full term. This must be paid in its entirety when you first apply for the visa.

Is there a minimum income requirement for other UK visas?

There are several types of UK visa that allow you to bring a spouse and dependant children into the country with you, and most of them have specific financial requirements that you must meet to show that you can cover the costs of maintaining your family members during your stay. These visas include:

●      Skilled Worker visa: this visa allows a main applicant to bring their spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner (if they have lived together for at least two years). The spouse will need to apply as a dependant partner and must meet financial maintenance requirements, but this comes with a much lower threshold than the UK Family visa and other immigration routes. Under this visa, you need to show evidence that you have at least £285 in savings for your partner, an additional £315 for your first child, and £200 each for any further children you wish to bring.

●      Health and Care Worker visa: this is a type of Skilled Worker visa for qualified health and care professionals. As with the Skilled Worker visa, spouses (except for certain care worker occupations) can apply as dependants and have the right to work or study in the UK.

●      Global Talent visa: successful Global Talent visa applicants can bring their spouse or partner to the UK with them. The dependent partner can work or study in the UK without restrictions, and there is no maintenance requirement or minimum income threshold. However, the eligibility requirements for the Global Talent visa are much stricter than other visa categories, which accounts for the relative lack of restrictions on the activities you can undertake as a visa holder.

●      Student visa: postgraduate students coming to the UK can often bring a spouse or partner, provided they are studying for a PhD, a doctorate or a research-based higher degree on a course that will last at least nine months with a higher education provider with a track record of Home Office compliance. The financial requirement is usually separate for the original applicant and for their dependants - dependants will need to show that they have an income of at least £680 a month (for up to 9 months), or £845 a month if the course is taught in London. The partner can work in the UK unless they are on a course that does not meet the eligibility requirements for dependants.

If you are planning on bringing a spouse to the UK, it is important to understand all of the considerations that may affect the application process to give yourself and your partner the greatest chance of success. In some cases, this might mean investigating the best visa options to meet your needs, while in others it will simply be a case of understanding and fulfilling the financial requirements that apply to a specific category under the UK Immigration Rules.

What evidence do you need to supply?

You will need to produce evidence to support your Spouse visa application, especially in terms of showing that you have the income or cash savings required. In some cases, you must have held the money you are relying on in a savings account for at least 28 days or longer before you began the application, and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will ask for evidence of this before granting your visa.

Applicants must provide evidence of their financial circumstances, such as:

●      Payslips for the last six months, if your income is from salaried employment and you have been in the same job for that period; 12 months evidence otherwise.

●      Employment contracts.

●      Bank statements showing income.

●      Evidence of savings or other sources of income.

As we have noted, the income threshold for sponsoring a spouse to the UK depends on your personal circumstances, whether there are any additional dependants (in some visa categories), and any applicable exemptions. It is advisable to prepare comprehensive documentation and seek professional advice to make sure you comply with the requirements before beginning your application.

At Latitude Law, we have a wealth of experience in checking documents on behalf of visa applicants who want to come to the UK. Thanks to our thorough knowledge of the Immigration Rules and the workings of UKVI, we can assess the strength of your application and help to make it more robust, to prove that you meet any relevant minimum income requirement and give your application the best chance of success. Our immigration solicitors can also advise you on other eligibility requirements and help you to find the right visa route for your specific needs.

Call Latitude Law today on 0300 131 6767 or fill out our enquiry form and we will get straight back to you. Let our legal experts take the uncertainty out of your partner visa application so you can start your successful journey towards residency in the UK today.